Brian Schottenheimer had plenty to share about the Dallas Cowboys' injured players before the first practice of the week. And for a roster already stretched thin, the timing couldn't be worse.
Let's be honest: The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of injuries to keep tabs on heading into Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer provided a bunch of updates Wednesday before the team's first practice of the week. He touched on linebacker Dee Winters, tight end Jake Ferguson, safety Caleb Downs, and several others. The official injury report comes out later in the day, but these are the updates Schottenheimer brought up for now.
Winters is doing individual work after suffering an injury in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. His return would give Dallas additional depth at linebacker, which it desperately needs.
The intriguing part is how the Cowboys deploy him. Since Winters went down, the plan has been to play Shemar James as the green dot defender with a rotation of DeMarvion Overshown and Jaishawn Barham alongside him. Before Overshown's return, however, Winters was the weakside linebacker while Barham operated as the green dot.
So does Winters simply join the rotation, or does Dallas shake up the linebacker room again?
At tight end, Schottenheimer revealed Ferguson will get some work with the training staff. Ferguson suffered an ankle injury in the Cowboys' loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It's a low ankle sprain, not a high ankle sprain. Still, working with the trainers rather than practicing raises questions about his availability in Week 9.
Luke Schoonmaker, on the other hand, is working back into practice after missing the Arizona game with a groin injury. That sounds like better news than Ferguson's. Without Schoonmaker, the Cowboys called up practice squad tight end James Mitchell, who recovered a touchdown in the end zone after running back Javonte Williams fumbled.
For now, we know Brevyn Spann-Ford will be ready to go. Will Schoonmaker and Ferguson be able to join them?
Both Downs and PJ Locke are in the concussion protocol. As Schottenheimer described it Wednesday, that's a long process.
Dallas does have options if push comes to shove. On the 53-man roster, Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark could step up. On the practice squad, Reddy Steward played some safety in the preseason, but he's out of practice squad elevations.
Then there's Derion Kendrick. He was elevated in Week 6, so the Cowboys could bring him up a second time if they want some nickel help while they move their pieces around at safety. That's a relevant piece of information because Downs has played mostly at nickel.
Perhaps the worst news of all involves Jalen Thompson. The safety remains on injured reserve, and his 21-day practice window hasn't been opened. A return seemingly isn't near.
Thompson suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain when the Cowboys played the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was Dallas' "prize" free agent addition. The Cowboys signed him to a $33 million deal-the largest for any outside free agent signing the team has made since Brandon Carr. He has played only three games for them, and they've really missed him at safety.
Unfortunately, first-round rookie outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence is likely to miss a few weeks, according to Schottenheimer. He suffered an ankle injury against the Cardinals.
That's a hit to the edge rusher group. It also comes at an awkward time, with Cowboys fans wondering if Rashan Gary will be disciplined for his costly roughing the passer penalty late in the Arizona game. The flag extended what should have been a stop, and the Cardinals went on to score the touchdown that sent the game to overtime.
Without Lawrence, though, sitting Gary doesn't sound realistic. Dallas is thin at the position with Donovan Ezeiruaku, Von Miller, James Houston, and Tyrus Wheat behind him.
Kick returner KaVontae Turpin is continuing to rehab. In his absence, the Cowboys have used Tyler Goodson and Jonathan Mingo as returners.
Goodson has shown some value in that role, so Dallas might be able to play the patient game with Turpin. I wouldn't be surprised if an awkward conversation about who the better returner is comes up whenever Turpin is back. He hasn't been the All-Pro returner he was a couple of years ago.
All told, it's mostly negative news for the Cowboys on the injury front. And against the Colts, a banged-up secondary could be very costly as the Cowboys are running out of time to get a win streak going.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Dallas Cowboys injury tracker ahead of Week 9 vs. Colts includes both first-round rookies, and one hopeful sign for the defense
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